Road Conditions and Spending by State: Are Taxpayers Getting Smoother Roads for Their Money?

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Highway spending and pavement quality tell different stories in most states. MoneyGeek analyzed 2023 capital outlay data from the U.S. Department of Transportation alongside FHWA road roughness measurements to find out how far each dollar travels and whether states posting the biggest highway budgets actually have better roads.

The data show no statistical correlation between spending per lane mile and road quality, once adjusted for traffic volume. Georgia spends $15,995 per lane mile and ranks third nationally for pavement condition. Alaska spends $103,739 per lane mile and ranks 36th. The gap between what states spend and what drivers get raises a direct question as IIJA funding continues to flow: are the dollars going to the right strategies?

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KEY FINDINGS
  • About one in 10 lane-miles nationwide is in poor condition, but the share is higher in urban areas: 22% of urban roads are rated poor compared with 13% of rural roads.
  • California has the roughest roads in the country despite spending $19,980 per lane mile. Its roughness index is 153.4, and 42% of its lane-miles are in poor condition.
  • Rhode Island ranks second-worst for road quality, with 36% of its lane-miles in poor condition. The state spends $35,087 per lane mile, ranking 20th-highest nationally.
  • New Hampshire and Alabama have the smoothest roads in the U.S. New Hampshire has 5% of lane-miles in poor condition at $18,658 per lane mile (45th in spending); Alabama has 4% in poor condition at $19,333 per lane mile (43rd).
  • Alaska spends $103,739 per lane mile, nearly three times the national average, yet ranks 36th for road quality. West Virginia spends the second-most at $81,566 per mile, yet ranks 34th.
  • Georgia ranks third for road quality at $15,995 per lane mile, 56% below the national average, and outperforms 45 other states on pavement condition.
  • Rough roads cost American drivers an estimated $400 a year in extra vehicle operating costs, with urban drivers in large metro areas paying up to $750 a year, according to TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. AAA reported that pothole damage alone cost drivers $26.5 billion in repairs in 2021.

States With the Worst and Best Roads

MoneyGeek created a Road Roughness Index by combining Federal Highway Administration international roughness index (IRI) data across Interstates, arterials and collector roads in urban and rural areas. Under FHWA standards, roads with IRI under 95 inches per mile are "good," 95 to 170 "acceptable" and above 170 "poor."

Top 10 States With the Worst Roads

These states have the highest roughness scores and the largest shares of lane-miles in poor condition.

1
California
153.4
42%
22%
$19,980
42
$24,023
2
Rhode Island
139.3
36%
32%
$35,087
20
$781
3
Nebraska
137.7
32%
33%
$37,166
17
$1,646
4
Wisconsin
136
29%
29%
$23,657
38
$5,568
5
New York
135
30%
35%
$32,674
23
$17,337
6
Hawaii
130
26%
34%
$34,243
21
$849
7
Louisiana
129.6
28%
36%
$23,674
37
$2,400
8
Washington
125
25%
39%
$31,730
25
$6,613
9
Massachusetts
124.2
27%
41%
$14,916
49
$6,500
10
Colorado
121.7
19%
38%
$28,957
30
$5,365

*Spending rank shows spending intensity (1 = highest per mile, 50 = lowest) and doesn't factor into road quality ranking.

California ranks worst on this index: its roughness score is 153.4 and 42% of its lane-miles are in poor condition, even though the state ranks 42nd in spending at under $20,000 per lane mile. California's $24 billion annual highway budget, the nation's second-largest in absolute terms, hasn't translated into smooth pavement.

Rhode Island illustrates the spending-quality disconnect most clearly. The state spends $35,087 per lane mile (20th-highest nationally), yet has the second-worst roads with 36% in poor condition. Nebraska, the third-worst for road quality, spends even more at $37,166 per mile.

Top 10 States With the Best Roads

These states offer the smoothest rides, with low shares of poor roads and high shares in good condition.

1
New Hampshire
75.1
5%
78%
$18,658
45
$1,154
2
Alabama
77.3
4%
77%
$19,333
43
$3,000
3
Georgia
81.5
4%
72%
$15,995
47
$5,227
4
Indiana
83.1
5%
71%
$31,617
27
$5,030
5
Florida
84.3
5%
70%
$32,438
24
$15,034
6
Minnesota
85
4%
68%
$22,004
41
$5,557
7
Tennessee
87.8
9%
68%
$19,089
44
$2,901
8
Kansas
88.4
9%
67%
$33,746
22
$3,234
9
Kentucky
89.2
7%
64%
$46,292
11
$3,305
10
Nevada
90.2
9%
63%
$25,365
35
$2,535

*Spending rank shows spending intensity (1 = highest per mile, 50 = lowest) and doesn't factor into road quality ranking.

New Hampshire ranks first for road quality: its roughness index is 75.1, with 5% of roads in poor condition. At $18,658 per lane mile, the state spends roughly half what Rhode Island spends, yet its roads rank 48 positions higher.

Where Spending Pays Off and Where It Falls Short

Road quality and infrastructure investment don't move in lockstep. Several low-spending states outperform the heaviest spenders. Total dollars alone don't predict pavement condition.

Efficiency Winners: Best Quality, Lowest Spending

Three states rank near the bottom for infrastructure spending yet post top-three road quality:

Georgia
3rd
$15,995
47th
New Hampshire
1st
$18,658
45th
Alabama
2nd
$19,333
43rd

Georgia spends $15,995 per lane mile (47th in the nation) and ranks third for road quality; 4% of its roads are in poor condition.

Efficiency Losers: High Spending, Poor Results

Several states with the highest spending per lane mile still rank near the bottom for road quality:

Alaska
36th
$103,739
1st
West Virginia
34th
$81,566
2nd
Rhode Island
2nd
$35,087
20th
Nebraska
3rd
$37,166
17th

Alaska spends $103,739 per lane mile, nearly three times the national average, yet ranks 36th for road quality. West Virginia ranks second in spending at $81,566 per mile but 34th for quality.

Why More Money Doesn't Always Mean Better Roads

MoneyGeek compared state highway capital outlay per lane mile to pavement conditions, adjusted for vehicle miles traveled. If states were systematically directing more money to worse roads and closing quality gaps, a clear relationship between spending and roughness would emerge. The data show no statistical correlation.

    usMap icon
    Climate and geography

    States with harsh winters deal with freeze-thaw cycles that crack pavement faster. Mountainous terrain and long remote road networks push up deterioration rates and the cost of labor and materials. Alaska's spending of $103,739 per lane mile reflects those distances and conditions.

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    Deferred maintenance

    Years of underinvestment can force agencies to devote new dollars to stabilizing failing pavement rather than lifting quality scores into the 'good' category. States in that position spend more to prevent further decline.

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    Cost differences

    Construction, right-of-way and workforce costs vary across the country. A dollar of capital outlay buys very different amounts of work in different states. Dense urban areas have higher labor and land acquisition costs. That pushes spending per mile up without lifting pavement quality.

    money icon
    Spending efficiency

    Spending strategy matters as much as total dollars. "The answer to achieving the best collective roadway network on the planet lies in a data-driven maintenance and repair strategy," says James Golden, founder and CEO of Pavement Management Group. "A strategy that encourages communities to leverage preventive, preservation and recycling treatments."

    MoneyGeek's data backs Golden's point. States that invest in preventive maintenance post better road quality scores than higher-spending states whose strategy is reactive.

What Rough Roads Cost Drivers

TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, estimates that deteriorated urban roads add about $400 a year in extra vehicle operating costs for the average driver. In the most congested metro areas, that figure reaches $750 a year. 

AAA found pothole damage alone cost drivers $26.5 billion in repairs in 2021. Car maintenance costs also vary by state, and road quality is a direct factor in that variation. Road debris and falling objects fall under comprehensive auto coverage in state-level claims data; pothole damage falls under collision coverage. Both appear as distinct line items in state claims reporting.

  • Suspension, steering and alignment repairs become more frequent
  • Tires wear out faster and need replacing sooner
  • Fuel consumption rises on rough pavement
  • Vehicles lose value faster from road-related wear

The $400 national average masks wide state variation. California's 42% poor-road share pushes vehicle operating costs toward the upper range; the state's road quality data is a useful reference for analysts studying the relationship between road conditions and total cost of car ownership. MoneyGeek's California auto insurance rates show how those road conditions translate into coverage costs at the state level. New Hampshire's 78% good-road rating puts it at the lower end of per-vehicle operating costs.

Freight carriers see higher maintenance costs and longer delivery times on deteriorating roads. "For states and localities lacking the necessary funding or commitment to improving roadway infrastructure, economic growth stalls, as infrastructure is a central factor for business and industry growth," Golden says. "Infrastructure was cited as a deciding factor in Amazon's decision to select its second headquarters location."

IIJA and the Question of Accountability

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed in late 2021, committed about $550 billion in new federal infrastructure spending. The bill included large increases in formula and grant funding for highways and bridges. MMore than four years into that rollout, the data don't yet show whether federal investment will close the spending-quality gaps MoneyGeek's analysis identified.

Most state-reported pavement condition data in this analysis predate the full rollout of IIJA-funded projects, which were still in design or early construction as of 2023. The bill's effects on road quality won't be fully visible for several more years.

MoneyGeek's data show high-spending states don't post systematically better pavement. That gap raises an accountability question for the coming decade: will new federal dollars break states out of the maintenance-only cycle and produce smoother roads, or will additional funding only slow the rate of decline in states already posting poor results?

Georgia, New Hampshire and Alabama already convert low per-mile spending into top-three road quality. For states spending heavily with poor results, the question isn't how much they spend. It's how.

Methodology

MoneyGeek ranked state road conditions and highway infrastructure spending using 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Highway Statistics series.

Road roughness index. MoneyGeek created a composite roughness score by weighting each category of measured pavement roughness from FHWA's international roughness index (IRI) data. The analysis covered urban Interstates, other freeways and expressways, and principal arterials. IRI categories (under 60, 60 to 94, 95 to 119, 120 to 144, 145 to 170, 171 to 194, 195 to 220, over 220) received midpoint weights. Lane-miles in each category were multiplied by the weight and divided by total lane-miles to produce a single roughness score per state. Rankings run from 1 (worst roads) to 50 (best roads).

Condition categories. FHWA classifies roads by IRI score: good is under 95 inches per mile, acceptable runs from 95 to 170 and poor exceeds 170. The percent poor and percent good figures reflect each category's share of urban lane-miles.

Capital outlay per lane mile. MoneyGeek divided each state's total highway capital outlay (Highway Statistics Table SF-12A) by total functional system lane miles (Table HM-60). Capital outlay covers new construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation, along with bridge work and safety improvements. Rankings run from 1 (highest spending) to 50 (lowest spending).

Total highway spend. This figure represents each state's total expenditure on highway capital outlays, reported in millions of dollars (FHWA Table SF-12A).

Vehicle miles traveled. MoneyGeek used annual vehicle miles traveled by state (Table VM-2) to normalize spending per lane mile and assess road quality relative to network usage.

Scope and limitations. Capital figures represent state highway agency spending and don't capture all local government spending on local streets and county roads, which may affect conditions in some areas. Road condition data reflect 2023 measurements. The Road Roughness Index covers urban Interstates, freeways and principal arterials, which carry higher traffic volumes and deteriorate faster than rural roads. IIJA-funded projects still under construction aren't yet visible in roughness metrics. States with older infrastructure, harsh climates or higher traffic volumes require more spending to match road quality in states with newer roads or more favorable conditions.

Full Dataset

The table below shows MoneyGeek's full 50-state rankings with roughness scores, condition shares and highway spending.

California
1
153.4
42%
22%
$19,980
42
$24,023
Rhode Island
2
139.3
36%
32%
$35,087
20
$781
Nebraska
3
137.7
32%
33%
$37,166
17
$1,646
Wisconsin
4
136.0
29%
29%
$23,657
38
$5,568
New York
5
135.0
30%
35%
$32,674
23
$17,337
Hawaii
6
130.0
26%
34%
$34,243
21
$849
Louisiana
7
129.6
28%
36%
$23,674
37
$2,400
Washington
8
125.0
25%
39%
$31,730
25
$6,613
Massachusetts
9
124.2
27%
41%
$14,916
49
$6,500
Colorado
10
121.7
19%
38%
$28,957
30
$5,365
Pennsylvania
11
119.9
21%
41%
$29,968
28
$17,380
New Mexico
12
119.7
22%
43%
$24,177
36
$1,792
Iowa
13
118.0
18%
39%
$42,188
12
$3,394
Texas
14
116.2
18%
44%
$36,626
18
$26,894
New Jersey
15
114.9
22%
49%
$26,000
34
$7,446
Illinois
16
114.8
19%
45%
$37,427
16
$10,467
Michigan
17
114.0
18%
46%
$23,116
40
$7,441
Oklahoma
18
112.1
16%
48%
$35,549
19
$4,050
Maryland
19
110.4
20%
55%
$28,005
31
$4,601
Mississippi
20
109.0
16%
50%
$23,637
39
$1,694
Ohio
21
108.7
17%
51%
$15,383
48
$6,692
Virginia
22
107.7
13%
49%
$31,623
26
$7,508
South Dakota
23
107.7
13%
50%
$66,693
7
$1,340
North Dakota
24
107.2
15%
52%
$66,739
6
$1,092
Oregon
25
106.9
15%
51%
$26,371
32
$3,173
Arizona
26
105.7
14%
50%
$12,432
50
$3,406
Montana
27
104.8
16%
55%
$46,908
10
$1,275
North Carolina
28
103.8
11%
50%
$51,769
9
$7,599
South Carolina
29
103.5
9%
51%
$26,090
33
$3,623
Connecticut
30
103.2
12%
53%
$29,681
29
$3,264
Idaho
31
102.2
15%
60%
$39,250
14
$1,555
Arkansas
32
99.9
13%
59%
$37,471
15
$3,154
Wyoming
33
97.3
12%
60%
$70,931
5
$1,324
West Virginia
34
96.9
8%
59%
$81,566
2
$2,382
Delaware
35
96.7
9%
61%
$59,011
8
$1,775
Alaska
36
96.6
10%
59%
$103,739
1
$1,511
Vermont
37
95.6
11%
61%
$71,297
4
$903
Missouri
38
94.3
11%
62%
$18,481
46
$3,884
Utah
39
94.2
7%
60%
$40,282
13
$2,672
Maine
40
92.1
13%
67%
$77,056
3
$1,581
Nevada
41
90.2
9%
63%
$25,365
35
$2,535
Kentucky
42
89.2
7%
64%
$46,292
11
$3,305
Kansas
43
88.4
9%
67%
$33,746
22
$3,234
Tennessee
44
87.8
9%
68%
$19,089
44
$2,901
Minnesota
45
85.0
4%
68%
$22,004
41
$5,557
Florida
46
84.3
5%
70%
$32,438
24
$15,034
Indiana
47
83.1
5%
71%
$31,617
27
$5,030
Georgia
48
81.5
4%
72%
$15,995
47
$5,227
Alabama
49
77.3
4%
77%
$19,333
43
$3,000
New Hampshire
50
75.1
5%
78%
$18,658
45
$1,154

About Myryah Irby

Myryah Irby, Writer and Data Journalist

Myryah Irby is a writer and data journalist at MoneyGeek. Her work spans original data studies and how-to guides covering auto, home and health insurance, consumer costs, and transportation safety.

Research and Analysis

Since joining MoneyGeek in late 2025, Irby has produced data studies on insurance costs, consumer spending and transportation risk. Her published work includes a 50-state analysis of winter driving danger using fatality and weather severity data; research tracking the relationship between rhodium commodity prices and catalytic converter theft rates, including state-level theft trends and what those rates mean for insurance costs; a state-by-state comparison of winter home heating costs; and an analysis of the full cost of having a baby in America: hospital bills, insurance and out-of-pocket expenses.

Career

Irby has more than 20 years of editorial and writing experience. Since 2005, she has run Irby x Irby, her own editorial and copywriting practice, with clients including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, OpenAI and the National Park Service. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Senior Managing Editor and then Copywriting Manager at Callisto Media, a nonfiction publisher acquired by Penguin Random House in May 2023, where she led a team of writers and graphic designers.

Before that, she spent nearly 11 years at QuinStreet, a performance marketing company that runs content and comparison sites in insurance and personal finance. She rose from Managing Editor to Senior Managing Editor between 2010 and 2016. Earlier in her career, she edited at Collabrys for nearly four years and tutored doctoral candidates on dissertation writing at the University of San Francisco.

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